From Polaroid to Impossible. Masterpieces of Instant Photography. The WestLicht Collection

"The art of Polaroid – the first presentation of the legendary instant film‘s fascinating range of materials and techniques.

While the world evaporates into the digital, the anachronistic Polaroid snapshot dominates media and advertising. The recent sale of the photography collection owned by Polaroid’s inventor Edwin Land to the Viennese photography museum 'WestLicht' marks an art-market trend toward the analog.

Beginning in the 1960s, Polaroid supplied artists around the world, from Ansel ADAMS to Andy WARHOL, with each one of the imperium’s latest products.
In return, 4,400 works by 800 photographers found their way into the company’s International Collection at their European headquarters near Frankfurt am Main.

In 2008, when the last instant film factory was rescued from demolition by the company 'Impossible', the founder’s commitment to collecting could be carried on as well.
This publication, 'From Polaroid to Impossible. Masterpieces of Instant Photography', features selected Polaroid masterpieces and new Impossible instant photography by contemporary artists." (publisher's note, © Hatje Cantz, 2012)